The Gnarly Science Of The Stefan-Boltzman Law

Three points of interest today:

1. A wonderful afterschool sick-nap. For some reason, a good nap feels even better if you're a little under the weather. No matter how uncomfortable your nap-spot may be, your brain just says "What the deuce? The inner ear says we're horizontal! Huzzah! Huzzay!" and everything shuts down for a while.

What's more, I even had a weird little nap-dream. I don't quite recall everything that happened, but from what I do remember, it was my birthday and Paige Northway and I were going to visit Linda Dockter in her office. But for some reason, Linda's office was at a museum in the cities (sort of a mix between the MIA and the Science Museum), and it was also sort of an apartment. I fell asleep on the floor in my dream, but I don't recall any meta-dreams; that woulda been sweet.

2. I patched up a couple of folders today, using the only suitable tape in the house: the camo duct tape Maya bought for, but forgot to give to, Hannah. This shit is sweet. It's like tarp on a roll. I basically had to use a blowtorch to cut the stuff. I'm sure glad I have it and not Hannah!

3. So I read this webcomic (only one, I promise!) called dinosaur comics, and in yesterday's comic a character wonders about the feasibility and power requirements (in terms of number of suns) of a device which would use light to throw a person up against a wall. The author left a note asking if some of his more scientifically-minded readers could come up with an estimate. So two guys with nothing better to do came up with this ridiculous proof. Apparently, it would only take 4.7x10^-15 of the total surface area of the sun to make such a cannon work. Good to know.